Robert Paul Holdstock was a British s/f and fantasy writer best known for his Ryhope Woods sequence. Novels that draw inspiration from Celtic mythology and the classic tropes of fantasy to create something original and mysterious, but decidedly not hear-warming. Readers beware, magic comes at high cost here and every bit of happiness is accompanied by pain and loss.

Beautifully written, well thought-through, this is bona fide fantasy at its best, and not a cheap Tolkien rip-off of a kind that plagued fantasy sections of bookshops in the 70-ties and 80-ties. Literary, full of mystery and mythological references, it differs from the modern epics, but readers of, say, Gaiman or Clarke will be satisfied.

Sitting down to write this post I’ve suddenly remembered I vowed to start using my collection of reference books again. Two came to my help:

Manuscript Discovered in a Dragon’s Cave is a Polish-only non-fiction by Witcher’sAndrzej Sapkowski, a bold journey through genre’s history and tropes, full of info on authors never published in Poland – and it’s quite impressive, for a guy born in 1948 in a country largely cut-off from international scene. Sapkowski himself takes different, lighter, more post-modern approach to myths and legends, but he strongly approves of Holdstock who is mentioned six times in a 240-page book. Ryhope is listed as one of the examples of fantasy encroaching into real world and, of course, favourably mentioned in a chapter about magical woods. In Sapkowski’s canon Holdstock’s series holds a very good place, no 45, between Witches of Eastwick and Black Company. I disagree with Sapkowski a lot, but he gave me a lot to think about, and heavily influenced my reading choices in the pre-blogging era! It also allowed me to better appreciate Witcher, giving a bit of a look inside the head of its author.

The wonderfulEncyclopedia of Fantasy is a one of the treasures of my reference shelf. Bought in 2016, when most of my research was already done on the Internet, and available online anyway, it’s not used as often as it deserves to be – but it doesn’t show, as I acquired a pre-owned and heavily used copy. Thank you, my anonymous predecessor! There is a 1.5 page entry on Holdstock and a shorter one about mythagoas a concept. It’s longer and more insightful than Wikipedia, packed with facts and written in a traditional encyclopedic style I realize I miss. I pledge to use it more often!

So, what are the mythago that gave name to the story? Archetypical characters from the deepest past of humanity, from the collective subconscious inherited from our long gone ancestors. Not their pop-culture versions we (or post-II world war protagonist of the novel) might be acquainted with and not even the versions that were written down by medieval monks and bards. In the deepest parts of the forest linger the mythical creations of the earliest human bands, proto-Arthur, proto-Robin Hood, harsh, brutal beings that have little in common with their cuddly modern versions. It is a primeval world very enticing to the protagonists of our novel, its exploration a way to discover not only the truth about the history of our species, but also truth hidden deep inside their very selves.

How do we encounter these mythagos? George Huxley, war veteran coming back to England after long recuperation in France, is drawn into the research of these mysterious forest that claimed his father and now drives his elder brother into madness. The stories of old are truly alive, and before they realise, they are part of them. From a researcher, to someone taking part in the essential stories of humankind! Joseph Campbell wrote about the basic motives of our myths, Holdstock gives us a novel where we witness protagonists from our times re-living them. Something clicks and I can see the connection with people from epochs long gone, in a way that non-fiction never makes me. A treasure of a book!

I’ve read at least three of the Mythago series over the years (though only reviewed one so far: https://wp.me/s2oNj1-ivory) and am conflicted over his treatment of Celtic legends while appreciating his ability to tap into atavistic fears. I rather preferred his standalone ‘The Fetch’ though one could argue he’s still using the meme of woodland here as symbolic of the subconscious.

This sounds pretty neat. Definitely got me curious. Actually never heard of the author or this series before. Also like those encyclopedias you use for insight on authors. I honestly never thought of looking into those or actually knew that such things existed really. Thanks for sharing.

P.S. Just out of curiosity, do you and Ola know each other for a very long time? Like childhood friends or something? 😛

Encyclopedias and other reference (paper)books seem to be almost wholly gone, but I feel nostalgic about them, and I try to do at least part of my research that way 🙂 And I have an interesting collection of these, so it would be a waste not to use them..

I was sad when I heard Holdstock had passed away, if only because he was born in the same month and year as me (just three weeks older than me!) and I felt that 61 was just too young an age to go, and an especially horrid death from an E coli infection.

I remember hearing him speak at a Cardiff Arthurian symposium many years back (in the 90s, I think) when he impressed me with his serious, rather quiet demeanour l.

This sounds fascinating! I love the sound of the archetypal characters. I hadn’t heard of this author before, but now I’m really curious. And I really like encyclopedias like this that go with series 🙂

I’ve finished today. 8/10. Very well written, suspenseful (and the suspense and the mystery at the beginning are very welcome, as they take the reader in from the first words in what turns out to be a Campbell-inspired mythological treatise ;)) It is a highly engaging, inspiring read, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of a deeply ironical meta-narrative inherent in this novel: call me jaded or cold-hearted, but it is, in fact, a Mary Sue reimagining in full bloom :P, accompanied by adolescent fantasies about a young, innocent, sensuous girl that at the beginning left me feeling a bit voyeuristic. The whole concept, while highly original and ambitious, left me feeling weirdly distant, and because of the mythological trappings that were so forcefully, repetitively inserted on every action of the main character, I never felt truly invested in his voyage.
Yet the imagination of Holdstock is truly awe-inspiring, and I can clearly see in Mythago Wood a source of Erikson’s inspiration – and here I thought that at least this part of the Malazan Book of the Fallen was his! 😉

Wow – great review! I’m sold. I shall endeavour to find and read a copy asap. Also really interested in getting hold of a copy of that Encyclopaedia of Fantasy, that looks awesome too. What a shame (for me) the Sapkowski non-fic isn’t available in an English translation.